I Think I Found Jimmy Hoffa In Here

“X-Men: First Class”

Super hero movies are nothing new and this year is packed full of them. With the pressure “The Dark Knight” put on the genre and the positive feedback from this years first big contender, ‘Thor,” a movie like “X-men: First Class” has a lot of competition. While being the first X-Men film to follow up the atrocity that is “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” “X-Men: First Class” doesn’t have to work too hard to immediately be considered a better movie. Luckily for the viewing audience, “X-Men: First Class” is a pretty decent movie in its own right.

In a statement that shows the film makers are trying to take the franchise back to the glory days of the Bryan Singer films, the film opens just as the first X-Men film started. In fact, the beginning is so reminiscent of the first X-Men offering, I would not be surprised if they actually used the same footage here. After a quick introduction to the characters of Professor X, Magneto and Raven/Mystique as children, the film hurdles into the story of how these characters met and how Professor X and Magneto first formed the beginnings of the mutant super force. The two cross paths while trying to stop (though for different reasons) the film’s villain, Sebastian Shaw and his cadre of evil mutants.

“X-Men: First Class” has a way of being light and campy enough at times without completely tearing itself down to a level of having no dignity. There are a few spots you will shake your head at and some awkward acting from some of the younger participants (this is all mostly at the beginning of the movie), but all of the truly good things “X-Men: First Class” has to offer outshine these moments of schlocky line delivery and tomfoolery. Whether it comes from the acting of a pretty stacked cast, the few well done tense action scenes or the terrific submarine stunt near the end of the film, a lot is done right this time around.

James McAvoy, as Charles Xavier (Professor X) and Michael Fassbender, as Eric Lehnsherr (Magneto) are perfect as the film’s two protagonists. McAvoy shines a different light than you may expect for the stern head of the X-Men, portraying him as a free spirited playboy with a stockpile of wit. Fassbender’s Magneto, is still the bitter and angry combative sole we are used to, but he brings a more worldly tone to the character’s demeanor and presence. I had a few problems with the exploration of this relationship. While I really enjoy McAvoy as an actor, he always comes off as a much younger man than he is. At 30 years old he is in no way an old man, but compared to the gruff Fassbender, he comes off as more of a college freshman. The two characters just do not fully come off as the contemporaries they are meant to be. On top of that, what I always felt normally comes off as a relationship of many years between the two, was boiled down to the time span of a few months here. For me, it’s too quick of an interval for two people who refer to each other as “old friends.”

Kevin Bacon’s Shaw is an archetype evil villain that doesn’t bring anything new to the game. Yet, he does his job well enough and doesn’t plunge the character into a comical layer of over acting and I must say, his German accent at the opening of the film was very good. Each of the supporting mutant roles were all played well and I was happy to see Caleb Landry Jones in the film, playing Banshee. “The Last Exorcism” is a movie that really grew on me after a second viewing and I thought he was great in that film. I am glad to see he is getting offers for big movies. The only weak link for me in the cast in my mind is Jennifer Lawrence. She may have gotten praise for her work in “Winter’s Bone,”but as Raven/Mystique, she came off as extremely stale and emotionless; which is not good for a character that is supposed to be torn between emotions.

“X-Men: First Class” has a slew of great things to offer all audience types. Like any film derived from a comic book, it plays a little with the beloved history that hardcore fans may find upsetting, but does not veer too far to loose anyone’s interests. There are plenty of fun cameos; some for good reasons and others for no apparent reason at all. The action has its long breaks but pays off big in a few places. When Fassbender entered into another bar fight scene (not quite as long as the one in “Inglourious Basterds”) applause broke out in the audience. All in all, while not the best movie ever made, “X-Men: First Class” is a great point of return for the crumbling franchise.